DAMARISCOTTA, Maine — A Waldoboro woman faces misdemeanor charges after she allegedly hit a disabled man with a minivan in the parking lot of the Hannaford supermarket in Damariscotta. Police said the woman then parked illegally in a space reserved for disabled drivers and continued into the store.
Rose Ayers, 25, of Waldoboro was driving a 1999 Chevrolet minivan into the parking lot at about 4 p.m. Jan. 13, Damariscotta Police Department Sgt. Jason Warlick said. Ayers — who is not disabled — attempted to pull into a parking space reserved for disabled drivers.
A man who uses crutches and wears braces on both knees as the result of a previous accident was standing next to his truck while a Hannaford employee loaded his groceries into the vehicle, Warlick said.
Ayers was driving too fast when she struck allegedly the man from behind, knocked him over, and continued into the space, scraping the truck’s driver’s side doors, Warlick said. The minivan eventually struck a pole with a sign designating the space as being reserved for disabled drivers and came to a stop.
The man was not injured in the incident, Warlick said. He told Ayers to wait in her vehicle for the police, but Ayers went into the store.
She was back at her vehicle when Warlick and Officer Erick Halpin arrived. She told police “she was in a hurry,” Warlick said. “She knew she wasn’t supposed to park in that spot, but she was just going to run into the store.”
“She saw him standing there, but she thought she could still fit into the spot,” Warlick said.
Ayers successfully completed a sobriety test, Warlick said.
Ayers was arrested and charged with Class E driving to endanger and operating after suspension. The misdemeanor charges carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
She was released from the Damariscotta Police Department on personal recognizance bail.
Ayers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.